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Thursday, 15 December 2016

Song by Yuna, ‘On Ghost Ridge’ shortlsted For Best Original Song Oscars Nomination

A force to be reckoned with, Kedah-born singer-songwriter Yunalis Mat Zara'ai or Yuna, has proven to be unstoppable, adding on accolades under her wings since moving to the United States.

After pairing with R&B star Usher, her latest album ‘Chapters’ broke through Billboard's top 10 Best R&B Albums of 2016: Critic's Picks, as well as sits at number 13 on Rolling Stone's 20 Best R&B Albums of 2016 list.

Now, news has it that a song sung by her is longlisted among others in the Best Original Song category in the Oscars.

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced 91 songs eligible to compete for this year’s Best Original Song, as reported by IndieWire, listing the track sung by Yuna, ‘On Ghost Ridge’, as one of the songs.

The song for the movie '100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice' was written by Emmy award-winning composer Nicholas Pike.

The film’s producer and director Melinda Janko had earlier praised Yuna, calling her an “amazing singer”.

“Yuna's musical style has garnered attention from heavy-hitters such as David Foster and Pharrell Williams. Taking the U.S. by storm, her latest single, 'Crush', featuring Usher, has gained over 11 million views on YouTube,” she acknowledged in August.

Although the nominations for the 89th Oscars will only be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017, acknowledging the longlist, Yuna took to Twitter to express it is “Still pretty amazing! Let’s get this out there for a nomination for sure! Thank you for having me a part of this beautiful project!.”

Out of those in contention in the category, only five will be shortlisted for the Academy Awards that will be held on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, in Hollywood.

Aside eyeing the Oscar nomination, Yuna’s also hoping to compete for the Grammys under the Best New Artiste and Best Urban Contemporary Album categories next year.

“The goal is to get nominated; it is very tough because I will have to score votes from the voting members of the Recording Academy, not the public.

“Either way, I’m excited and praying for the best,” Yuna told New Straits Times after submitting her album Chapters to the selection committee.